Whenever I get done doing some work on my vehicles I can always tell which fasteners I've touched because they end up having bite marks from my sockets or combo wrenches. Its especially bad with 12pt sockets or wrenches. A few of them look like they are on the verge of rounding but I never had tool slip on them just using lots of balls to snug them down. In this case its the suspension fasteners on my 3/4 ton Dodge. Is it me, the tools or just the way it is? BTW, the tools are craftsman and husky USA.
is it me or the tools?
- Thread starter monster1
- Start date
GirlnAgarage
Well-known member
Actually I think its the fasteners that are partly to blame. I think they are soft. Yesterday I pulled out my center console (3/4T Ram) as I'm starting a custom build. I noticed marks too. But the hardware isn't exactly great quality. I used 6pts where the ratchet fit and the 12pt wrench where I had little clearance. I rounded out the top edge of a nut as I didn't have the socket fully seated (socket too short actually).
I can't say about the tools I guess Cman is all I've ever used. But don't forget the hardware.
I can't say about the tools I guess Cman is all I've ever used. But don't forget the hardware.
metal1313
Well-known member
i have noticed that a good deal of auto bolts are not that percisely sized and therefore tools dont fit that great. couple that with not so great quality and exposure to the environment and u get the same results as using poor tools
offroadsteve
Well-known member
Is it possible you're using SAE tools on Metric parts? A lot of the time, you can get a SAE sized tool that will fit and turn metric bolts, but you end up with what you are describing.
Wouldn't suprise me at all if your Dodge is metric. Everything on my Chevrolet is.
Wouldn't suprise me at all if your Dodge is metric. Everything on my Chevrolet is.
nso123
Well-known member
The bolts that I have messed with on my 08 F250 are metric too.
crewchief888
Well-known member
everything on my '88 s-10 is metric,
except for spring & motor mount bolts that i replaced with std. size grade 8
a lot of OEM bolt heads have a slight taper on the head, to help with production assembly with powered nut runners.
except for spring & motor mount bolts that i replaced with std. size grade 8
a lot of OEM bolt heads have a slight taper on the head, to help with production assembly with powered nut runners.
sometoyotaguy
Well-known member
I think fasteners are considered disposable in the auto world. That being said, everything up here takes a little oomph to get loosened up. Make sure you're using the correct size, and 6pts if you can.
If they are rounded off too much, then they probably should be replaced if you ever plan on taking them apart again.
If they are rounded off too much, then they probably should be replaced if you ever plan on taking them apart again.
I have a gauge to measure fasteners that I use to find the size tools I need so that I don't have to keep going back and forth to my box. In this case they were 3/4" bolts on an aftermarket steering stabilizer. The corners themselves don't round but the shoulder of the corner gets dug in. I'm thinking that its just the fasteners being soft. I don't seem to have a problem with the harder grade fasteners.
everything on my '88 s-10 is metric,
except for spring & motor mount bolts that i replaced with std. size grade 8
a lot of OEM bolt heads have a slight taper on the head, to help with production assembly with powered nut runners.
I've noticed that too.
I've been wondering if the the "universal" or spline type sockets and wrenches would cause this. Where they are a "one type fits all", I suspect they are a "compromize at all". No, I have never used them. Although I have a couple thousand dollars worth of sockets alone, I don't need much of an excuse to buy more tools. But I have been skeptical of the "universals" since I first saw them. Greg.
jethro29
Well-known member
i think that if you use six point tools instead of twelve point you would eliminate that issue.
zoomzoomjeff
Well-known member
Seems like on my Jeep Grand Cherokee, which would also share Dodge truck components, I've noticed I have some fasteners that are:
Metric
Standard
Internal Torx
External Torx
Safety Torx
And I haven't been able to narrow it down consistently to driveline, frame, engine bay, etc. Mostly, I grab metric and am successful most of the time. However, one tensioner pulley bolt was standard, and another bolt on the drive belt area was metric. Slightly frustrating!
Metric
Standard
Internal Torx
External Torx
Safety Torx
And I haven't been able to narrow it down consistently to driveline, frame, engine bay, etc. Mostly, I grab metric and am successful most of the time. However, one tensioner pulley bolt was standard, and another bolt on the drive belt area was metric. Slightly frustrating!
All my sockets are 6 pt and my wrenches are 12pt, never had an issue
I had that same problem for years, switched to 6pt sockets and never had that problem since. I think it is fastners of today, but it is annoying nonetheless. The socket fits sloppy on the fastner, and the movement of the wrench back and forth reams the head of the hex bolt. With 6 pt, the edges of the hex don't take the brunt of the force, rather the whole flat side of the hex on the bolt.
I'm sure that's what it is because the harder zinc fasteners don't seem to get the bite marks on them.
GirlnAgarage
Well-known member
Hey Monster, what stabilizer did you go with? Were you upgrading your linkage or just replacing the stabilizer?